Contactless card dividers, wallet-inserts, and wallets containing the same

ABSTRACT

A contactless card divider includes a body having a front side and back side and a width therebetween, and a waveguide disposed between the front and back sides. The waveguide is configured to guide a first electromagnetic wave emitted toward the front side through the width of the body to the back side with a first predetermined delay.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to contactless card dividers,wallet-inserts, and wallets containing the same, and more particularlyto facilitating the simultaneous use of multiple contactless cards viawaveguides and signal blocking cores.

BACKGROUND

Traditional cards, such as traditional credit cards and hotel-room keys,require physical contact to transfer data. For example, credit cardshave a magnetic strip encoded with payment and identificationinformation. In order to transfer this information, the magnetic stripmust be slid through a card reader. However, this process may beinconvenient, requiring a consumer to remove the credit card from awallet, swipe the card to transfer the data, and return the credit cardto the wallet. To expedite this process and improve convenience,contactless cards, which can transfer data without requiring directphysical contact, have grown increasingly popular. Instead of requiringa magnetic strip, most contactless cards have an antenna of a type andorientation that provides a projection of an electromagnetic field in agenerally horizontal direction, and some types of contactless cards(e.g., contactless farecards used in mass-transit systems) cancommunicate data via a wireless radio frequency (RF), inductive orsimilar communication link that does not require electrical contactbetween the smart card and validator device.

The gaining prevalence of contactless cards has presented a significantlimitation for many users. Due to their construction, when multiplecontactless cards are stored in a single wallet, the signals emittedfrom the cards can interfere with each other. Accordingly, users havingmultiple contactless cards must remove the desired contactless card fromtheir wallet before and after each use, limiting the benefit of acontactless card over a traditional card.

Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices, apparatuses, andsystems to facilitate the use of multiple contactless cards within asame container. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed tothis and other considerations.

SUMMARY

Disclosed embodiments provide devices, systems, and methods usingwaveguides or signal blocking cores for facilitating the use of multiplecontactless cards. Consistent with the disclosed embodiments, variousmethods and systems are disclosed. In an embodiment, a contactless carddivider is disclosed. The contactless card divider may have a bodyhaving a front side and back side and a width therebetween. Thecontactless card divider may also have a waveguide disposed between thefront and back sides. The waveguide may be configured to delay thetransmission of electromagnetic (EM) waves travelling through thewaveguide by a predetermined time. Accordingly, if two or morecontactless cards are disposed on opposite sides of the contactless carddivider and the three are presented to a card-reading terminal, thefirst card (i.e., the card closer to the card reading terminal) willreceive an EM field generated by the card-reading terminal and transmitan EM wave in response without hindrance from the waveguide. Meanwhile,the waveguide will delay the EM field generated by the card-readingterminal as it travels through the waveguide to the second card (i.e.,the card on the other sides of the waveguide from the card readingterminal), and likewise delay an EM wave transmitted by the second cardin response to the EM field. Thus, the EM wave of the first and secondcards will arrive at the card-reading terminal in distinguishable timeframes, avoiding interference of the EM waves. In some embodiments, oneor more waveguides may be disposed in a wallet or other card carrier.

According to other embodiments, a wallet or other card carrier having anEM shield embedded therein is disclosed. The wallet may have slots orother attachment mechanisms to hold a plurality of contactless cards.The EM shield may be disposed within the wallet separating the slots orother attachment mechanisms. Accordingly, EM waves may only be travelfrom each contactless card in a direction opposite the EM shield. Incertain embodiments, the EM shield may absorb EM waves (e.g., with aferrous core or metal grate). In some implementations, the EM shield maybe configured to reflect EM waves. In some implementations one or morewaveguides and/or one or more EM shields may be used in variouscombinations to effectuate the use of three or more contactless cards.Further features of the disclosed design, and the advantages offeredthereby, are explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference tospecific embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinlike elements are indicated be like reference designators.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and which are incorporated into andconstitute a portion of this disclosure, illustrate variousimplementations and aspects of the disclosed technology and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosedtechnology. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example a contactless card;

FIG. 2A illustrates a related art card carrier;

FIG. 2B illustrates an example use of a single contactless card with anexample card-reading terminal;

FIG. 3A illustrates a card carrier in the related art with multiplecontactless cards;

FIG. 3B illustrates the simultaneous use of multiple contactless cardsin the related art;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the use of a contactless card divider withtwo contactless cards according to an example embodiment;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate the use of two contactless cards disposed in acard carrier with an EM shield according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 6 illustrates a contactless card divider according to an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 7 illustrates various dispositions of collections of dividers, EMshields, and contactless cards according to example embodiments; and

FIGS. 8A-8D illustrate various card carriers according to certainexample embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some implementations of the disclosed technology will be described morefully with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosedtechnology may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein. Thecomponents described hereinafter as making up various elements of thedisclosed technology are intended to be illustrative and notrestrictive. Many suitable components that would perform the same orsimilar functions as components described herein are intended to beembraced within the scope of the disclosed electronic devices andmethods. Such other components not described herein may include, but arenot limited to, for example, components developed after development ofthe disclosed technology.

It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more method stepsdoes not preclude the presence of additional method steps or interveningmethod steps between those steps expressly identified. Similarly, it isalso to be understood that the mention of one or more components in adevice or system does not preclude the presence of additional componentsor intervening components between those components expressly identified.

The present disclosure is directed to contactless card dividers,wallet-inserts, and wallets containing the same, and more particularlyto facilitating the simultaneous use of multiple contactless cards viawaveguides and signal blocking cores. In a first aspect, according toexemplary embodiments, a contactless card divider may include a bodyhaving a front side and back side and a width therebetween. Thecontactless card divider may also include a waveguide disposed betweenthe front and back sides, and the waveguide may be configured to guide afirst electromagnetic wave emitted toward the front side through thewidth of the body to the back side with a first predetermined delay.

In some embodiments, the waveguide may be bi-directional and configuredto guide a second electromagnetic wave emitted toward the back sidethrough the width of the body to the front side with a secondpredetermined delay. In other embodiments, the body may be sized andshaped to mirror standard credit cards and fit in standard wallets. Forexample, one or more of the front and back sides of the body may besubstantially rectangular. One or more of the front and back sides ofthe body may be dimensioned approximately 3.37 inches by 2.125 inches.Additionally, the height and length of the waveguide may be dimensionedapproximately 90% of the front side of the body (e.g., such that thewaveguide covers about 90% of the surface area of the front side of thebody). In further embodiments, the contactless card divider may alsoinclude a first holder configured to secure a first contactless card tothe contactless card divider and a second holder configured to secure asecond contactless card to the contactless card divider. The firstholder may be disposed on the front side of the body and the secondholder may be disposed on the back side of the body.

According to a second aspect, according to other exemplary embodiments,a contactless card holder may include a body defining a first internalslot for holding a first contactless card, with the first internal slothaving opposed front and back ends. The contactless card holder may alsoinclude a first waveguide including a front side, a back side, and awidth between the front and back sides. The first waveguide may bedisposed within the body such that the front side of the first waveguidefaces the front end of the first internal slot. The first waveguide maybe configured to guide a first electromagnetic wave emitted toward thefront side of the first waveguide through the width of the firstwaveguide to the back side with a first predetermined delay.

In some embodiments, the body of the contactless card holder may furtherdefine a second internal slot for holding a second contactless card. Thesecond internal slot may have opposed front and back ends and bepositioned proximate to the back side of the first waveguide such thatthe back side of the first waveguide faces the front end of the secondinternal slot. The first waveguide may bi-directional and furtherconfigured to guide a second electromagnetic wave emitted toward theback side of the first waveguide through the width of the firstwaveguide to the front side with a second predetermined delay. The bodymay further define a third internal slot disposed between the firstinternal slot and the second internal slot, the first waveguide beingdisposed within the third internal slot.

In other embodiments, the contactless card holder may further include adivider separating the first internal slot from the second internalslot, the first waveguide being disposed in the divider. The contactlesscard holder may further include a second waveguide including a frontside, a back side, and a width between the front and back sides, thesecond waveguide being disposed within the body such that the front sideof the second waveguide faces the back end of the first internal slot.The second waveguide may be configured to guide a second electromagneticwave emitted toward the front side of the second waveguide through thewidth of the second waveguide to the back side with a predetermineddelay.

In further embodiments, the body may further define a second internalslot for holding a second contactless card, the second internal slothaving opposed front and back ends and being positioned proximate to theback side of the first waveguide such that the back side of the firstwaveguide faces the front end of the second internal slot. The firstwaveguide may be bi-directional and further configured to guide a secondelectromagnetic wave emitted toward the back side of the first waveguidethrough the width of the first waveguide to the front side with a secondpredetermined delay. The body may further define a third internal slotfor holding a third contactless card, the third internal slot havingopposed front and back ends and being positioned proximate to the backside of the second waveguide such that the back side of the secondwaveguide faces the front end of the third internal slot. The secondwaveguide may be bi-directional and further configured to guide a thirdelectromagnetic wave emitted toward the back side of the secondwaveguide through the width of the second waveguide to the front sidewith a third predetermined delay.

In some embodiments, the contactless card holder may further include anelectromagnetic shield having front and back sides, the electromagneticshield disposed within the body proximate to the back end of the firstinternal slot such that the front side of the electromagnetic shieldfaces the back end of the first internal slot. The electromagneticshield may be configured to substantially reduce a strength of anelectromagnetic wave emitted toward the front side of theelectromagnetic shield.

In other embodiments, the body may further include a second internalslot for holding a second contactless card, the second internal slothaving opposed front and back ends and being positioned proximate to theback side of the first waveguide such that the back side of the firstwaveguide faces the front end of the second internal slot. The bodyfurther may further include a third internal slot for holding a thirdcontactless card, the third internal slot having opposed front and backends and being positioned proximate to the back side of theelectromagnetic shield such that the back side of the electromagneticshield faces the front end of the third internal slot. Theelectromagnetic shield may be further configured to substantially reducea strength of a third electromagnetic wave emitted toward the back sideof the electromagnetic shield.

According to a further aspect, in accordance with other embodiments, acontactless card holder may include a body defining a first internalslot for slidably receiving a first contactless card and a secondinternal slot for slidably receiving a second contactless card. Thefirst and second internal slots may each have opposed front and backends; a divider disposed within the body between the first and secondinternal slots such that it separates the back end of the first internalslot from the back end of the second internal slot. The contactless cardholder may also include an electromagnetic shield disposed within thedivider, the electromagnetic shield having front and back sides facingthe back ends of the first and second internal slots, respectively, andbeing configured to substantially reduce a strength of anelectromagnetic wave emitted toward one or more of the front and backsides of the electromagnetic shield.

In some embodiments, the contactless card holder may be configured suchthat a first electromagnetic wave emitted from the first contactlesscard toward the front side of the first internal slot is substantiallyunimpeded by the contactless card holder. The contactless card holdermay be further configured such that a second electromagnetic waveemitted from the second contactless card toward the front side of thesecond internal slot is substantially unimpeded by the contactless cardholder. The first and second contactless cards may each have a firstsurface area and the electromagnetic shield may have a second surfacearea covering approximately 90% of the first surface area.

Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments of thedisclosed technology, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and disclosed herein. Wherever convenient, thesame references numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer tothe same or like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a contactless card 100. As shown,contactless card 100 may be sized and shaped (e.g., roughly rectangular)to fit in a standard wallet. For example, the contactless card 100 maybe roughly the size and shape of standard credit card (e.g., 85.60mm×53.98 mm or 3.375 in ×2.125 in) with rounded corners. However, thisis merely an example, and the contactless card 100 may have variousshapes and sizes. The contactless card 100 may include a chip 110 and anantenna 120. The chip 110 may contain information related to thecontactless card 100 (e.g., account information). The antenna 120 may beconfigured to receive power from EM fields, which in turn can be used topower transmission of the information contained on the chip 110.

FIG. 2A illustrates a card carrier 150 in the form of a standard walletfrom the related art. The wallet includes a plurality of card holders orslots 170 that are each configured to receive one or more standardcredit cards or contactless cards 100. For illustrative purposes in FIG.2A, the single contactless card 100 is disposed in a single slot of thewallet 150.

FIG. 2B illustrates the use of the single contactless card 100 with acard-reading terminal 200. When the single contactless card 100 (eitherin the wallet 150 or outside of it) is presented near card readingterminal 200, card reading-terminal 200 may emit an electromagnetic (EM)field 210. The EM field 210 activates the contactless card 100 when thecontactless card is brought near the card-reading terminal 200. In somecases, the card-reading terminal 200 may emit a pulse of the EM field210 periodically. Once activated, the contactless card 100 outputs an EMwave 220 to the card-reading terminal 200 to transfer the informationcontained on its chip 110.

FIG. 3A illustrates a card carrier 150 in the form of a standard walletfrom the related art. In contrast with the example shown in FIG. 2A, thecard carrier 150 illustrated in FIG. 3A holds first and secondcontactless cards 100 a and 100 b in separate slots 170.

FIG. 3B illustrates the simultaneous use of multiple contactless cardsin the related art. Two contactless cards 100 a and 100 b (either in thewallet 150 or outside of it) are presented near a card reading terminal200. The card reading-terminal 200 emits an EM field 210. The EM field210 activates both the first and second the contactless cards 100 a and100 b near simultaneously when the contactless cards 100 a and 100 b arebrought near the card-reading terminal 200. Once activated, thecontactless cards 100 a and 100 b substantially simultaneously outputrespective EM waves 220 a and 220 b to the card-reading terminal 200 totransfer the information contained on their respective chips 110. Theclose proximity of first and second contactless cards 100 a and 100 bcauses temporal proximity of EM waves 220 a and 220 b, which mayinterfere with one another and prevent the card-reading terminal 200from reading either or the desired one of contactless cards 100 a and100 b.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the use of a contactless card divider 400with two contactless cards according to an example embodiment. As shownin FIG. 4A, the divider 400 may be disposed between the firstcontactless card 100 a and the second contactless card 100 b. Thedivider 400 may be configured to delay propagation of EM waves through awidth of the contactless card. For example, the divider 400 may includea waveguide that guides EM waves through a width of the divider in adelayed manner. In some cases, the divider 400 may be a physical card,for example, as described below in more detail with reference to FIG. 6.However, this is merely an example. In some cases, the first contactlesscard 100 a and the second contactless card 100 b may be disposed in acard carrier 150 (e.g., a wallet), and the divider 400 may separate thefirst and second contactless cards 100 a and 100 b.

FIG. 4B illustrates the use of the contactless card divider 400 with thetwo contactless cards according to an example embodiment. The twocontactless cards 100 a and 100 b (either in the wallet 150 or outsideof it) with divider 400 separating them are presented near the cardreading terminal 200. Card reading-terminal 200 emits EM field 210. TheEM field 210 activates the first contactless card 100 a followed, aftera delay, by the second contactless card 100 b. This delay may beaccomplished by a delay in propagation of the EM field through thedivider 400. Once activated, the first contactless card 100 a outputs EMwave 220 a to the card-reading terminal 200 to transfer the informationcontained on its chip 110. Similarly, the second contactless card 100 boutputs EM wave 220 b to the card-reading terminal 200 to transfer theinformation contained on its chip 110. The divider 400 may also delay EMwave 220 b on its path from the second contactless card 100 b to thecard-reading terminal 200. Accordingly, unlike in FIG. 3B, EM wave 220 aand EM wave 220 b may avoid interfering with one another, therebyenabling the card-reading terminal 200 to read from the desired one ofcontactless cards 100 a and 100 b. The divider 400 may be configured todelay EM waves passing therethrough a sufficient amount for thecard-reading terminal 200 to distinguish EM wave 220 a from EM wave 220b (e.g., in accordance with one or more standard for a card-readingterminal 200). In some cases, the divider 400 may be configured to delayEM signals for approximately half the time separation required for thecard reading terminal 200 to distinguish EM waves 220 a and 220 b, asthe propagation of the EM field 210 from the card reading terminal 200is also delayed. As a non-limiting example, the divider 400 may beconfigured to delay EM waves passing therethrough by, for example, 0.25seconds. The card-reading terminal 200 may be configured to distinguishbetween EM waves 220 emitted from numerous cards to record informationfrom only a single contactless card 100.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate the use of two contactless cards disposed in thecard carrier 150 (e.g., a wallet) with an EM shield 500 according to anexample embodiment. In FIG. 5A, the card carrier 150 includes aplurality of slots 170 a and 170 b separated by the EM shield 500, asshown more clearly in FIG. 5B. The EM shield 500 may be incorporatedinto card carrier 150. For example, the EM shield 500 may be integratedwithin a separator of the card carrier 150 that divides slot 170 a fromslot 170 b. In some cases, the EM shield 500 may be configured as ametallic weave as part of the separator of the card carrier 150. In someimplementations, the separator of the card carrier 150 may include frontand back layers forming a receptacle for EM shield 500. The firstcontactless card 100 a and the second contactless card 100 b aredisposed, respectively, in slots 170 a and 170 b. The EM shield 500 maybe configured to prevent or minimize a propagation of EM wavestherethrough. As a non-limiting example, the EM shield 500 may includeone or more of a ferrite core and a metal grate to absorb EM waves. Insome cases, the EM shield 500 may be configured to reflect EM wavesinstead of absorbing EM waves. For example, EM shield 500 may utilizeguiding material (e.g., similar to the waveguide discussed below withreference to FIG. 6) to reflect the signal within the EM shield 500 andback towards the corresponding first and second contactless cards 100 aand 100 b. Thickness, type, shape, layout, and conductivity of thematerial may be selected to adjust the amount of signal that is absordedversus reflected through the EM shield 500.

As shown in FIG. 5C, the two contactless cards 100 a and 100 b (e.g., inthe wallet 150) with the EM shield 500 disposed therebetween may bepresented near the card reading terminal 200. The card reading-terminal200 emits EM field 210. The EM field 210 activates the first contactlesscards 100 a when the contactless cards 100 a and 100 b are brought nearthe card-reading terminal 200. Once activated, the first contactlesscard 100 a outputs EM wave 220 a to the card-reading terminal 200 totransfer the information contained on its chip 110. However, the EMshield 500 may prevent EM field 210 from activating the secondcontactless card 100 b by at least partially absorbing or reflecting EMfield 210. Thus, the EM wave 220 b may not be produced and, therefore,the EM wave 220 b cannot interfere with EM wave 220 a. In someembodiments, the EM field 210 may still activate both the first andsecond contactless cards 100 a and 100 b. Thus, both EM wave 220 a andEM wave 220 b will be produced. However, the EM shield 500 may beconfigured to prevent the EM wave 220 b from reaching the card-readingterminal 200 (e.g., either by absorbing or reflecting EM wave 220 b) atthe same time as the EM wave 220 a, thereby avoiding interferencebetween the waves. If a disposition of the contactless cards 100 a and100 b and the EM shield 500 were reversed, (i.e., the second contactlesscard 100 b was located on the side of EM shield 500 closer to thecard-reading terminal 200) only the second contactless card 100 b wouldbe activated by the EM field 210, or the EM wave 220 a may be delayed bythe EM shield 500 to avoid it from interfering with the EM wave 220 b.Accordingly, different contactless cards 100 may be activated by simplyreorienting the card carrier 150.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of the contactless card divider400 in additional detail. As shown, the contactless card divider 400 mayinclude a body 420 and a waveguide 440 disposed therein. The body 420may be formed, as a non-limiting example, of a plastic material. Thewaveguide 440 may be configured to delay a propagation of an EM wavethrough width of the divider 400. In some cases, a height and length ofthe waveguide 440 is dimensioned approximately 90% of the front side ofthe body 420. That is, the waveguide 440 may be sized and shaped suchthat its front surface area covers about 90% of the surface area of thefront side of the body 420. In some embodiments, the divider 400 may besized and shaped to roughly mirror a standard credit card (e.g.,rectangular with rounded edges and dimensions of about 85.60 mm×53.98 mmor 3.375 in ×2.125 in). In some cases, the width of the divider 400 maybe determined based on a desired propagation delay. For example, in someembodiments, the divider 400 may be approximately 19 mm thick. Althoughthe divider 400 is illustrated as a distinct entity, this is merely anexample. In some cases, the divider 400 may be integrated into the cardcarrier 150, for example as discussed in more detail below withreference to FIGS. 8A-8D.

As a non-limiting example, the waveguide may utilize obtuse angles of aguiding material (for example, of a conductive material) to guide thesignal through the divider. The obtuse angles may cause an EM signal toreflect between portions of the guiding material. In implementations,the guiding materials may be organized to reflect the signals through awave-like structure without greatly reducing its power too much. In somecases, the maze-like structure may be a substantially circular or spiralstructure. In certain cases, the guiding material may be copper orsilver.

FIG. 7 illustrates various dispositions of collections of the dividers400, the EM shields 500, and the contactless cards 100 according toexample embodiments. As shown, the dividers 400, EM shields 500, andcontactless cards 100 are illustrated stacked and offset in stacks 700a-g. The term frontward will be used to describe a direction out of atop of the stack and backward used to describe a direction out of abottom of the stack. When the stacks are described as placed near acard-reading terminal 200, it should be assumed that the bottom of thestack is nearest the card-reading terminal 200 unless otherwise noted.FIG. 7 illustrates example dispositions, and alternative dispositionsare contemplated in the present disclosure.

The stack 700 a includes the single contactless card 100 a disposedbetween first and second dividers 400 a and 400 b. Both dividers 400 aand 400 b may be configured to delay a propagation of EM wavestherethrough. Accordingly, when the stack 700 a is placed near thecard-reading terminal 200, the activation of the contactless card 100 aand the transmission of EM wave 220 a may be delayed both frontwards andbackwards.

The stack 700 b has, in order, the first contactless card 100 a, thefirst divider 400 a, the second contactless card 100 b, and the seconddivider 400 b. Both dividers 400 a and 400 b may be configured to delaya propagation of EM waves therethrough. Accordingly, when the stack 700b is placed near the card-reading terminal 200, the activation of thefirst contactless card 100 a and the transmission of EM wave 220 a maynot be delayed in a backward direction. However, the propagation of EMwave 220 a may be delayed by both the first and second dividers 400 aand 400 b in a frontward direction. Meanwhile, when the stack 700 b isplaced near the card-reading terminal 200, the activation of the secondcontactless card 100 b and the transmission of EM wave 220 b may bedelayed both frontwards and backwards by the first and second dividers400 a and 400 b, respectively.

The stack 700 c is the same as the stack 700 b with a third contactlesscard 100 c stacked on top of the second divider 400 b. Accordingly, theeffects on the first and second contactless cards 100 a when the stack700 c is placed near the card-reading terminal 200 are like thosedescribed with reference to the stack 700 b. When the stack 700 c isplaced near the card-reading terminal 200, the activation of the thirdcontactless card 100 c and the transmission of EM wave 220 c may bedelayed in the backwards direction by both the first and second dividers400 a and 400 b. However, the transmission of EM wave 200 c may not bedelayed in a frontward direction.

The stack 700 d includes the single contactless card 100 a disposedbetween the first divider 400 a and the EM shield 500. Accordingly, whenthe stack 700 d is placed near the card-reading terminal 200, theactivation of contactless card 100 a and the transmission of EM wave 220a may be delayed in the backwards direction. However, EM wave 220 a willbe prevented (or diminished) from propagating in the forwards directionthrough the EM shield 500. If stack 700 d is reversed (i.e., arranged inthe opposite order) and placed near the card-reading terminal 200, theactivation of contactless card 100 a and the transmission of EM wave 220a may be prevented (or diminished) by the EM shield 500.

The stack 700 e is the same as the stack 700 d with the secondcontactless card 100 b stacked on top of the EM shield 500. Accordingly,when the stack 700 e is placed near the card-reading terminal 200, thecontactless card 100 a may behave the same as that described above withreference to the stack 700 d. When the stack 700 c is placed near thecard-reading terminal 200, the activation of the second contactless card100 b and the transmission of EM wave 220 b may be prevented (ordiminished) by the EM shield 500. However, if the stack 700 e isreversed (i.e., arranged in the opposite order) and placed near thecard-reading terminal 200, the activation of the second contactless card100 b and the transmission of EM wave 220 b may proceed unimpeded by thedivider 400 a and the EM shield 500.

The stack 700 f includes the first contactless card 100 a, the firstdivider 400 a, the second contactless card 400 b, and the EM shield 500.Accordingly, when the stack 700 f is placed near the card-readingterminal 200, the activation of the first contactless card 100 a and thetransmission of EM wave 220 a may not be delayed in a backwarddirection. However, the propagation of EM wave 220 a may be delayed bythe divider 400 a in a frontward direction and ultimately prevented (ordiminished) by the EM shield 500. Meanwhile, when the stack 700 f isplaced near the card-reading terminal 200, the activation of the secondcontactless card 100 b and the transmission of EM wave 220 b may bedelayed in the backwards direction by the divider 400 a, and thepropagation of EM wave 220 b may be prevented (or diminished) by the EMshield 500 in the frontward direction.

The stack 700 g is the same as stack 700 f with the third contactlesscard 100 c stacked on top of the EM shield 500. Accordingly, the effectson the first and second contactless cards 100 a when the stack 700 c isplaced near the card-reading terminal 200 are similar to those describedwith reference to the stack 700 b. Meanwhile, when the stack 700 g isplaced near the card-reading terminal 200, the third contactless card100 c will behave similarly to the second contactless card 100 bdescribed above with reference to the stack 700 e.

FIGS. 8A-8D illustrate various card carriers according to certainexample embodiments. In FIGS. 8A-8D, the contact card dividers 400 andthe EM shields 500 are describes as separating various card holders 170(e.g., slots 170 or clips 170). It will be recognized that, unlessexplicitly limited by the disclosure, the contact card dividers 400 andthe EM shields 500 may be substituted to effect different use cases.However, it will be recognized that particular orders and selections ofthe contact card dividers 400 and the EM shields 500 described hereinmay provide various enhancements to user experiences.

The standard bi-fold wallet 150 shown in FIG. 8A 150 includes four slots170 a-d on its left side and four slots 170 e-h on its right side. Eachof the slots 170 a-h may be configured (e.g., sized and shaped) toreceive a contactless card (e.g., the contactless card 100). The firstdivider 400 a separates the first slot 170 a from the second slot 170 b,the first EM shield 500 a separates the second slot 170 b from the thirdslot 170 c, and the second divider 400 b separates the third slot 170 cfrom the fourth slot 170 d. Meanwhile, a third divider 400 c separatesthe fifth slot 170 e from the sixth slot 170 f, a second EM shield 500 bseparates the sixth slot 170 f from the seventh slot 170 g, and a thirdEM shield separates the seventh slot 170 g from the eight slots 170 h.

The following description assumes a contactless card is disposed in eachslot 170 a-h. If the left side of the wallet 150 is moved near thecard-reading terminal 200 with the first slot 170 a closest to theterminal 200, the card in the first slot 170 a will be activated withoutdelay, the card in the second slot 170 b will be activated but delayedby the first divider 400 a, and the cards in the third and fourth slots170 c and 170 d will not be activated (because of the first EM shield500 a). Meanwhile, if the left side of the wallet 150 is moved nearterminal 200 with the fourth slot 170 d closest to the terminal 200, thecard in the fourth slot 170 d will be activated without delay, the cardin the third slot 170 c will be activated but delayed by the seconddivider 400 b, and the cards in the first and second slots 170 a and 170b will not be activated (because of the first EM shield 500 a).

If the right side of the wallet 150 is moved near the card-readingterminal 200 with the fifth slot 170 e closest to the terminal 200, thecard in the fifth slot 170 will be activated without delay, the card inthe sixth slot 170 f will be activated but delayed by the third divider400 c, and the cards in the seventh and eighth slots 170 g and 170 hwill not be activated (because of the second and third EM shields 500 band 500 c). Meanwhile, if the right side of the wallet 150 is moved nearthe terminal 200 with the eighth slot 170 h closest to the terminal 200,the card in the eighth slot 170 h will be activated without delay, andthe cards in the fifth through seventh slots 170 e and 170 g will not beactivated (because of the second and third EM shields 500 b and 500 c).It will be noted that the card in the seventh slot 170 g is notactivated in any orientation as the second and third EM shields 500 band 500 c prevent the EM field 210 from reaching slot 170 g. Therefore,slot 170 g may be used to protect an important contactless card 100 fromnefarious access.

FIG. 8B illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the card carrier 150in the form of a card case. Card case 150 includes a clip 170 a andthree slots 170 b-d. Each of the clip 170 a and slots 170 b-d may beconfigured to receive a contactless card (e.g., the contactless card100). The first divider 400 a separates the clip 170 a from the firstslot 170 b, the EM shield 500 separates the first slot 170 b from thesecond slot 170 c, and the second divider 400 b separates the secondslot 170 c from the third slot 170 d. Contactless cards disposed in cardcase 150 may behave similarly to those described above in FIG. 8A withreference to the left side of the wallet 150 as the order of thedividers 400 and the EM shields 500 is the same (i.e., if a contactlesscard is placed in each card holder 170 of card case 150, it would form astack alternative a contactless card with the first divider 400 a, theEM shield 500, and the second divider 400 b).

FIG. 8C illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the card carrier 150in the form of a money clip. The money clip 150 includes the first clip170 a and a second clip 170 b. The first clip 170 a and the second clip170 b may each receive respective first and second contactless cards 100a and 100 b. The first and second clips 170 a and 170 b are separated bythe contactless card divider 400. If money clip 150 is moved near thecard-reading terminal 200 with the first clip 170 a closest to theterminal 200, the first contactless card 100 a may be activated withoutdelay, while the activation of the second contactless card 100 b may bedelayed by the divider 400. Similarly, if money clip 150 is moved nearthe card-reading terminal 200 with the second clip 170 b closest to theterminal 200, the second contactless card 100 b may be activated withoutdelay, while the activation of the first contactless card 100 a may bedelayed by the divider 400.

FIG. 8D illustrates another exemplary embodiment of the card carrier 150in the form of an elastic band money clip. Money clip 150 includes theclip 170 a and an elastic pocket 170 b. The clip 170 a and the pocket170 b may each receive respective first and second contactless cards 100a and 100 b. The clip 170 a and pocket 170 b are separated by thecontactless card divider 400. If money clip 150 is moved near thecard-reading terminal 200 with the clip 170 a closest to the terminal200, the first contactless card 100 a may be activated without delay,while the activation of the second contactless card 100 b may be delayedby the divider 400. Similarly, if money clip 150 is moved near theterminal 200 with the pocket 170 b closest to the terminal 200, thesecond contactless card 100 b may be activated without delay, while theactivation of the first contactless card 100 a may be delayed by thedivider 400.

Certain embodiments and implementations of the disclosed technology maybe described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systemsand according to example embodiments or implementations of the disclosedtechnology. It will be understood that some blocks of the block diagramsand flow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the orderpresented, may be repeated, or may not necessarily need to be performedat all, according to some embodiments or implementations of thedisclosed technology. One of ordinary skill will understand that theorder of certain elements of the block diagrams and flow diagrams may bealtered unless explicitly required to operate in a particular order.Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams supportcombinations of means for performing the specified functions, andcombinations of elements or steps for performing the specifiedfunctions.

In this description, numerous specific details have been set forth. Itis to be understood, however, that implementations of the disclosedtechnology may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not beenshown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of thisdescription. References to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “someembodiments,” “example embodiment,” “various embodiments,” “oneimplementation,” “an implementation,” “example implementation,” “variousimplementations,” “some implementations,” etc., indicate that theimplementation(s) of the disclosed technology so described may include aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not everyimplementation necessarily includes the particular feature, structure,or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in oneimplementation” does not necessarily refer to the same implementation,although it may.

Throughout the specification and the claims, the following terms take atleast the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. The term “connected” means that onefunction, feature, structure, or characteristic is directly joined to orin communication with another function, feature, structure, orcharacteristic. The term “coupled” means that one function, feature,structure, or characteristic is directly or indirectly joined to or incommunication with another function, feature, structure, orcharacteristic. The term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or.”Further, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean one or moreunless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to asingular form. By “comprising” or “containing” or “including” is meantthat at least the named element, or method step is present in article ormethod, but does not exclude the presence of other elements or methodsteps, even if the other such elements or method steps have the samefunction as what is named.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified the use of the ordinaladjectives “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe a commonobject, merely indicate that different instances of like objects arebeing referred to, and are not intended to imply that the objects sodescribed must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, inranking, or in any other manner.

While certain embodiments of this disclosure have been described inconnection with what is presently considered to be the most practicaland various embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure isnot to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, isintended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangementsincluded within the scope of the appended claims. Although specificterms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptivesense only and not for purposes of limitation.

This written description uses examples to disclose certain embodimentsof the technology and also to enable any person skilled in the art topractice certain embodiments of this technology, including making andusing any apparatuses or systems and performing any incorporatedmethods. The patentable scope of certain embodiments of the technologyis defined in the claims, and may include other examples that occur tothose skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be withinthe scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do notdiffer from the literal language of the claims, or if they includeequivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from theliteral language of the claims.

Example Use Case

The following example use cases describe examples of typicalimplementations of the use of a contactless card divider (e.g., divider400) and/or an EM shield (e.g., EM shield 500). These are intendedsolely for explanatory purposes and not for purposes of limitation. Inone case, a wallet (e.g., wallet 150) includes two slots that can eachreceive a contactless card (e.g., contactless card 100). The slots areseparated by a contactless card divider including a waveguide (e.g.,waveguide 440). When moved near a card-reading terminal (e.g., terminal200), one of the cards will be activated and transmit an EM waveimmediately upon activation, while the activation and transmission of anEM wave by the other card(s) may be delayed by the waveguide by apredetermined time. Thus, by controlling the delay and arrangement ofthe contactless cards, the user may facilitate operation of the desiredcontactless card without having to remove any of the contactless cardsfrom the wallet.

In some embodiments, a wallet (e.g., wallet 150) may include three slotsthat can each receive a contactless card (e.g., contactless card 100).At least two EM shields (e.g., EM shield 500) may be disposed within thewallet such that each EM shield separates two slots. When moved near acard-reading terminal (e.g., terminal 200), only the closest card may beactivated and transmit an EM wave. The other cards will not be activated(or such activation will be reduced by the EM shields). The card in themiddle slot will be prevented from activating by the EM shields unlessit is removed from the slot. Thus, in this arrangement, the user mayfacilitate operation of the desired contactless card without having toremove any of the contactless cards from the wallet.

In some embodiments, a wallet (e.g., wallet 150) may include three slotsthat can each receive a contactless card (e.g., contactless card 100).Contactless cards may be placed in the first and third slots, and aseparate contactless card divider (e.g., 400) with a waveguide (e.g.,waveguide 440) is placed in the middle slot. When moved near acard-reading terminal (e.g., terminal 200), one of the cards will beactivated and transmit an EM wave immediately, while the activation andtransmission of an EM wave by the other card may be delayed by thewaveguide.

1. A contactless card divider comprising: a body having a front side andback side and a width therebetween; and a waveguide disposed between thefront and back sides, the waveguide being configured to guide a firstelectromagnetic wave emitted toward the front side through the width ofthe body to the back side with a first predetermined delay, thewaveguide comprising a plurality of guiding structures, wherein a firstportion of the plurality of guiding structures are circular or spiralshaped.
 2. The contactless card divider of claim 1, wherein thewaveguide is bi-directional and further configured to guide a secondelectromagnetic wave emitted toward the back side through the width ofthe body to the front side with a second predetermined delay.
 3. Thecontactless card divider of claim 1, wherein one or more of the frontand back sides of the body is substantially rectangular.
 4. Thecontactless card divider of claim 3, wherein one or more of the frontand back sides of the body is dimensioned approximately 3.37 inches by2.125 inches.
 5. The contactless card divider of claim 4, wherein aheight and length of the waveguide is dimensioned approximately 90% ofthe front side of the body.
 6. The contactless card divider of claim 2,further comprising: a first holder configured to secure a firstcontactless card to the contactless card divider, the first holder beingdisposed on the front side of the body; and a second holder configuredto secure a second contactless card to the contactless card divider, thesecond holder being disposed on the back side of the body. 7-20.(canceled)